it falls into a disgusting condition, mortgagees
foreclose. In many cases the building societies that have lent money on
the property to its full value, by arrangement between the secretary of
the society and the speculative builder, have gone into liquidation, and
the industrious people who have placed their money in the societies
have lost their investments. And last, there have even been disputes
between the owner of the ground rent who wishes to re-enter and the
local authority as to the payment of charges for making streets in the
district which has fallen into decay. This is no fancy picture. Those
who have had legal practice over a period of years in some of our large
towns will confirm it from their own experience.

There is no valid reason why, when land is converted from agricultural
land into building land in the neighbourhood of a large town without any
effort on the part of the landowner, a definite portion of such land
should not be set aside for allotments or open spaces without payment,
on the same grounds that a person who is erecting buildings on the land
is obliged to comply with building regulations to secure proper
sanitation, although it might be more profitable to build without any
regard whatever for the health of the prospective tenants. Of course, it
may not always be possible to set aside a portion of any given piece of
land which is sold for building, but in that case the landowner should
contribute an equivalent value out of the proceeds of the land which he
sells towards providing the allotments or open spaces required elsewhere
in the neighbourhood. Such a provision would not be really burdensome,
as no contribution either in land or money would be made except at the
time when a largely increased revenue was to be derived from the land.
It is not to be forgotten that the large urban landlord usually pays no
rates towards meeting the requirements of the town, and receives the
full amount of the rent fixed practically for all time at a period of
inflation, although the rates may have enormously increased to meet the
cost of the things which the municipality has to provide for the needs
of a large and industrious but often very poor population.

An example has been given of what private enterprise may do in providing
not merely accommodation for working people, but accommodation with
really attractive surroundings, in the action taken by the family of
the late Sir Thomas Storey, at Lancaster.